Thursday, 8 December 2011

Married at Eight Thousand Feet.

Maya was married this weekend. her folks live in Golden, Colorado, near the grave of Buffalo Bill. Elevation at their home is almost eight thousand feet. This means there's 20% less oxygen in the air. So sea level people like me need to breathe in 20% more to feel normal. I found my heart racing after I ran up a flight of stairs!

Maya is my best friend from my residency program. She was the first person I met when I went to Rochester, MN for my interview. Two years ahead of me in training, she left for fellowship in San Diego after my third year. Now, she's a well-known Pediatric Orthopedic surgeon who works at Children's Hospital of San Diego.

She met her husband, Dan, at a Christmas party a few years ago. It was practically "love at first sight." He's a terrific man and has an extraordinary 11-year old daughter, Haley. Here are some photos from the weekend and the wedding. Maya wore the same dress (remade of course) worn by her great grandmother, grandmother and mother. The dress is more than 100 years old! Each time it has been remade slightly since each woman had a different shape. The material had aged to a beautiful gold color.

Maya's parents, Kitty and Rock, have a home in the woods which overlooks beautiful, snow-capped mountains. Numerous bird feeders set around the perimeter of the house attract all sorts of birds. It is mating season for the hummingbirds, so we saw scores of them, dive bombing all over the place. Also, the neighboring herd of Bison had just delivered some babies. All things bode well for this marriage.

Congratulations, Maya and Dan! I am honored to have been a part of your wedding and I wish you the very best.